The provincial government has approved bans on single-use items for a handful of municipalities and plans to give communities across B.C. more power when it comes to outlawing plastics.

Victoria, Richmond, Tofino, Saanich and Ucluelet have been given the green light to implement bans after each community passed bylaws against single-use plastics.

“[Those municipalities] have shown us local action can lead to real change, and lead to broader influence of public opinion,” B.C. Environment Minister George Heyman announce Saturday.

Heyman said the province is also looking at changing its community charter so municipalities can implement bans without the need for provincial approval — a move that would immunize local bylaws from legal challenges by plastic lobby groups.

Victoria’s ban on plastic bags, for example, was overturned by B.C. courts after it was challenged by the Canadian Plastic Bag Association for not having provincial approval.

Read the full and original story at cbc.ca